YUVAAN RAJPOOT a free-spirited rockstar whose universe revolves around his music. Life generously bestowed upon him all that he desired - name, fame, and wealth. Girls flocked around him, but he remained impervious to their charms. Love and second c...
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Saakshi sank into the plush armchair, her gaze fixated on the flickering flames within the fireplace. The dancing orange flames mirrored her inner turmoil. The crackling sounds resonated with the chaos in her heart. She was lost in thoughts, battling demons of her own. A storm of emotions raged within her. An innocent's life was at stake. Once again, destiny was forcing her to relive her worst nightmare. All those memories she had tried too hard to forget came back to torment her.
"Mumma," Yuvaan's gentle voice startled her. She looked up with tired eyes.
"Theek ho Aap? (Are you fine?)" He knelt in front of her and held her hands. She was sitting in front of the fireplace, but her hands were ice-cold to touch. He started rubbing warmth into them; Saakshi held his hand and stopped him. Her boy always put her before himself. She could see the pain in his eyes. He was putting on a brave front for her.
"Tu theek hai, bacha? (How are you, bacha?)" She cupped his face gently. Yuvaan nodded his head, but she knew her son better.
"Talk, Yuvi. You know you can tell me anything, bacha. You don't have to be brave for me. We are each other's strength, Yuvi. Tell me what you feel."
In response, Yuvaan laid his head in her lap and snuggled into her warmth. She had always been his safe place. "I hate them, mumma. I really do."
Saakshi ran her fingers through his thick mop. She could see that he was in desperate need of a haircut but kept it to herself. Her son was obsessed with his hair. She let him make his choices. Always. Be it hairstyle or his lifestyle. He would always have a choice.
"She is so innocent, mumma. Bache hai yaar woh (She is just a kid)." He looked at her troubled. "What were they thinking?"
"Those people come from a different world, Yuvi. Family honor, custom, tradition, dominates rational thinking. You were two days old when your father... that man fixed your alliance with Roshni's family."
Yuvaan looked startled.
"He needed money. He had gambled away everything. He needed to settle the debts. Roshni's father was very rich. He had four daughters, each killed at childbirth."
Yuvaan gasped, "female infanticide?"
"It was not uncommon back then. Those people believed in remaining childless rather than siring a daughter. Those people still live in the Stone Age, Yuvi. Your dad was bankrupt, but his family belonged to an upper caste. That was enough incentive for Roshni's father. He gave your father a big amount in exchange for his promise. That man believed that he was cursed to only bear girls. In a way, the alliance saved Roshni's life. Those people are crazy, Yuvi. They will never set the girl free."
"That is not their decision to make, mumma." Yuvaan's eyes glinted. "Roshni will live her life the way she wants to. She will marry the man she chooses. I will not let them win, mumma. I cannot let them win."
